The conservation of heat that is a by-product of the combustion of fossil fuels in an Otto type engine such as a Diesel or Gasoline Engine, and the reduction of emissions from these engines, as well as the reapplication of the waste heat energy to make the engine more efficient in terms of fuel consumption, has long been a goal of the automotive industry. In general, combustion in a cylinder takes place with greatest efficiency when the temperature is extremely high and the fuel is under extremely high pressure in the cylinder. A diesel engine makes use of these principles and is able to eliminate the need for using a spark for ignition (although a glow plug is used in some engines for starting).
The cylinder temperature needs to be at a safe level to prevent deterioration of the lubricating oil of the engine; therefore, a system that can maintain the lubricating oil at an optimum temperature level, while conducting off the heat resulting from the combustion of fuel, and reapplying the exhaust heat energy to enhance engine performance in terms of fuel efficiency and pollution reduction would adapt the engine to future needs.
Prior art approaches for reducing fuel consumption and reducing pollutants included novel mechanisms for transferring heat from the exhaust manifold to superheat water for injection into the cylinder of the same fossil fuel engine to enhance the power stroke of the pistons. A practical hybrid fossil fuel and steam engine does not exist in the prior art because there was not facile method or means for switching modes at the desired times to take advantage of the unique characteristics of each mode.
The prior art implementations are based on the following principles:
1. Water, when heated under pressure conditions, can attain superheat temperatures far in excess of 212.degree. F. (100.degree. C.) without boiling; If such superheated water is released into an atmosphere having less pressure than that under which such water has been brought to a superheat, it will flash into superheated steam, producing harnessable power.
2. Water at a given pressure, when heated to a certain temperature flashes into steam. A compressor into which superheated water is injected and compressed and raised to a critical temperature will cause the water to flash into steam producing force on the compressor piston when the critical temperature is reached. The amount of the force depends on the cubic inch displacement of the compressor, among other factors.
3. An internal combustion engine at the moment of firing, would invariably produce enough heat and pressure to flash into steam, any water contained in the cylinder.
4. Water when flashed into steam expands to approximately 1,600 times its orignal volume, exerting about 2000 psi force on a piston in a cylinder of an engine.
A combination of these principles is used with a fossil fuel engine, of the Otto cycle type, as a source of heating for circulating fluids in a combined mode of operation wherein fossil fuel and water are consumed sequentially in at least one of the cylinders of the engine.
The prior art shows the use of superheated water injection systems for increasing the efficiency of a gasoline engine by supplemental water injection; some embodiments show use of the exhaust manifold as a source of heat for elevating water to the superheated level for reapplication to one or more of the cylinders of the same engine. However, the prior art does not show two distinct modes of operation, steam and fossil fuel, nor does it take into account the precise management of temperatures and pressures required of various parts and functions of the engine at specific times in the operation from startup to shutdown and re-start of the engine. The prior art does not show a fully automatic hybrid fossil fuel-and-superheated water injection engine.